Japanese press reports stating that Hidehiko Yoshida will likely face Fedor Emelianenko in his retirement bout at Astra 1 on April 25 in Tokyo have no validity, said Evgeni Kogan, director of operations for M-1 Global, the organization that represents the Russian heavyweight.

“I heard about it today for the first time. I think it's some Japanese people with a sense of humor. No foundation whatsoever,” wrote Kogan in an email Friday to Sherdog.com.